Final answer:
A particularly trying problem for HR in firms with foreign subsidiaries is the high turnover of expatriate employees, which incurs high costs for continual training and development of international managerial skills.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the difficulties faced by HR in a firm with foreign subsidiaries, particularly when it comes to hiring and training managers for international business roles, high turnover of expatriate employees is a particularly trying problem. High turnover can drastically increase the costs of developing managers' international business skills due to the need for constant recruitment and retraining of new employees. Addressing this challenge involves not only providing cultural training and diversity training but also understanding and mitigating the factors that contribute to expatriate turnover, such as cultural adjustment issues, job dissatisfaction, or family concerns.
Professionalizing human resources functions can help reduce biases in the hiring process and ensure a more diverse and skilled workforce. Additionally, understanding that bureaucracies must make significant investments in human capital reinforces the importance of training and developing employees to maximize the returns on these investments.
Contextualizing this within the global marketplace, HR must also consider the intricate labor laws of different countries and the skills of the local workforce. For example, the Indian government's regulation on labor could impact hiring and firing decisions, which further underscores the need for companies to navigate international HR complexities competently.